Reflections of 2011

Tweet

Where did 2011 go?

Can you believe that we just blasted through the Summer and completely bowled over September and October? Now we’re heading full steam into November. Wow. I’m just amazed that 2011 is just about over. This year has absolutely flown for me. How about you?

By the way, where did Summer go? Before we know it we’ll be getting heavy snow here in Massachusetts. Ughh! I’m totally dreading the thought of winter this year. People say that you should be “used to it” after living in New England your entire life and I can honestly say that I’ve tried to just “get used to” the winters here in New England  for the last 27 years and it’s just not happening. Anybody else out there feeling my pain?

Enough about Winter, let’s talk Fitness

Alright, enough of this depressing Winter talk! As some of you may or may not know, I returned home from my around the world trip in December 2010. The first few months back were consumed by a whole lot of reflecting, a lot of “wishing I was here or there”, etc. I had planned on taking some local (U.S.) based trips to take my mind off of my trip being over and being back at home but for whatever reason just never got around to it. Looking back, it was probably due to the fact that one of my main focuses after returning home was to get my fitness routine back on track.

After 6 months of being on the road I was more than ready to get myself back into a routine at the gym. If I had a list of the Top 5 things I missed while on the road one of them would surely be exercising. Once I arrived back home and got through the holidays I was ready to kick my ass back into shape. Starting in January 2011, I was busy getting back to my 4-5 day/week workout routine at Punch Kettlebell Gym Brockton. (P.S. – I built the Punch Gym Brockton website upon returning from my trip.)

Egypt is Calling

Dates: May 7th-27th, 2011

I’m sure many of you remember Liz and I arriving in Cairo, Egypt on our first day back in June of 2010 and feeling more overwhelmed than ever before. As you probably remember, we settled into Egypt fairly quickly after meeting a few locals who took us in and showed us what real Egyptian hospitality is all about.

Since then, we have kept in touch with our Egyptian friends and when the opportunity arose for us to visit our friends again, we jumped online and purchased our round trip tickets without hesitation. When we landed in Cairo on May 7th, 2011, we were instantly welcomed back to Egypt and greeted with open arms. It was such a great feeling to be back in Egypt spending time with the people who made our first trip to Egypt so special.

This time around we spent three whole weeks in Egypt with our friends sightseeing  in Cairo, Alexandria and even some alone time out in Dahab on the Sinai Peninsula. We were welcomed back . Although it was a “different” Egypt this time around (due to it being post revolution), we still managed to try our best to enjoy our time spent in the country that has a place in our hearts.

Warrior Dash!

Date: June 25th, 2011

Once we returned from spending three weeks in Egypt, we were bloated. Bloated from all of the food we had eaten during our trip. You don’t know what eating is all about until you visit Egypt, trust me!

We only had a few weeks to get back to work at the gym before the Warrior Dash New England on June 25th, 2011!

We may have been prepared when it comes to our fitness level, but we certainly weren’t prepared for the torrential downpours and freezing cold weather! This ended up being one messy day to say the least…

Before:

After:

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6pzAKnjnAQ

One Hell of a time in Tampa!

Dates: July 20-26th, 2011

My trip to Tampa was pretty spontaneous to be honest. It all started when I got this sudden urge to head to a theme park. Not only that but JetBlue was having a one-day sale and I knew I couldn’t pass it up.

You see, I’ve always been a fan of roller coasters and the last time I had been on one was out in Las Vegas (New York, New York Rollercoaster) back in 2009. It was time for me to step up and not only head to a theme park but head to a city in Florida that I had never visited before.

I jumped on my Couch Surfing account which I hadn’t logged into for 6 months or so and sent out a few Couch Requests to some hosts in Tampa. Within 24 hours all five of the potential hosts that I reached out to replied back with a confirmation that they could host me. Interesting! Now it’s time to choose who I’d like to stay with… decisions, decisions!

I decided to stay with an older couple for a change. I don’t know what it is, but I always feel like an old man when I stay with a younger host. Maybe it’s because I’m just not into partying anymore? Wow, I really do sound old! Oh, and when I say I chose to stay with an “older couple” I don’t mean OLD as in 60, 65, 70, I mean just old enough that they could be my parents!

Either way, I spent an incredibly fun and interesting week with Ginny and Ray at their home in Tampa. During my stay in Tampa, I gave Ray a hand working on his latest business venture, explored Ybor City, went bowling at Splittsville, hung out on St. Pete’s Beach with Ginny, attended a BBQ and took in a full day of roller coasters at Busch Gardens Tampa

Before I knew it it was time to say goodbye and head back home. I had such a great time with Ray and Ginny and I highly recommend you give them a shout if you’re ever in the Tampa area. They are a ton of fun and an all around great couple to hang with. Miss you guys!

Viva Las Vegas!

August 19th-23rd, 2011

Once August hit it was time again to hit the road. Liz and I were off to Las Vegas for her 27th birthday! Although we have been to Vegas a few times, it was simply just the easiest and most convenient place to book Liz’s birthday trip.

We weren’t that excited to visit Vegas this time around because it’s usually the same old thing every single time you visit. Walk the strip, see a show or two, go out on the town, lay by the pool, and spend outrageous amounts of money on subpar food. I was determined to do something DIFFERENT in Las Vegas this time around so I made a few plans before heading out there.

In order to change things up and make our Las Vegas trip a little more exciting, I setup two adventure activities that you have to check out the next time you’re in Vegas.

#1 – Sunbuggy Las Vegas

First up was Sunbuggy Las Vegas, the ultimate Vegas Dune Buggy Experience. This activity is not for the faint hearted, that’s for sure. Liz and I buckled into our two seated dune buggy and hit the desert at full throttle. For more information, you can read my Las Vegas Dune Buggy review or just check out the video below.

#2 – Vegas Indoor Skydiving

Next up on our adventurous list of Vegas activities was Las Vegas Indoor Skydiving. We had a ball flying with Vegas Indoor Skydiving and we had a chance to meet the manager Brad who not only made sure we had a great time in the tunnel, but also gave us some top notch dining recommendations off of the strip. Thanks again Brad!

Check out my in-depth Vegas indoor skydiving review or see our indoor skydiving video below!

Other than enjoying the two activities listed above, we spent time lounging by the pool at our hotel (Stratosphere Hotel & Casino), sat third row at the amazing LE RÊVE, saw Gordie Brown Live in Old Vegas (he sucked) and visited some unusually yummy Vegas restaurants off the strip (Firefly, and Sedona).

Six Flags New England

Date: August 24th, 2011

My friend Billy and headed out to Six Flags New England the day after I get back from my trip to Las Vegas. We started our morning with Bizarro which was insane to say the least. The rest of the day was filled with waiting in long lines for the rest of the coasters and finishing the night with one last ride sitting front row on Bizarro in the pitch dark. Scary? Oh hell yeah!

End of Summer Road Trip

Dates: September 10th-12th, 2011

After having a ball at Six Flags New England two weeks prior, Billy and I hit the road and headed out on a weekend road trip that we called the End of Summer Road Trip. Our goal: to conquer every roller coaster at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, NJ!

Read all about our visit to Lambertville, our Day at Six Flags Great Adventure, our experiences driving through the Wild Safari and our visit to the Jersey Shore by checking out the links below.

• Welcome to Lambertville!
• Conquering the Roller Coasters of Six Flags Great Adventure
• Driving through Six Flags Wild Safari
• Washing up on the Jersey Shore

Road Trip to Washington, D.C.

Dates: September 18th-24th, 2011

The week after returning from my End of Summer road trip to Six Flags Great Adventure, I received an email invitation to the Qatar Airways media event down in Washington, DC. Considering I had never been to DC and the fact that I just bought a new car, I figured it would be a perfect excuse for yet another road trip. This time I would be going solo though…

Once again, I stopped off at my friends in Lambertville before heading out west to Hershey’s Chocolate World in Hershey, Pennsylvania. After leaving Hershey, I took a spin through Amish country. I drove through towns with funny names like “Bird in Hand”, “Intercourse”, “Blue Ball”, and even “Paradise”.

After cruising through Amish Country, I headed to Philly to grab a cheesesteak! I mean, you gotta have a cheesesteak when you’re in Philly, right?

Next, I headed to my final destination: Washington, DC where I settled in with James, my awesome DC CouchSurfing host, attended the Qatar Airways media event, did a Segway tour of DC and so much more.

Check out the following posts to read about my entire road trip from start to finish!

• Welcome back to Lambertville!
• Visiting Hershey Chocolate World, Intercourse and Philly
• Attending the Qatar Airways Media Event
• Sightseeing in Washington, DC
• Washington DC Segway Tour Review

Conclusion

So there it is… that’s what I have to show for my time home so far! After returning from Egypt in May, I was on a mission to plan some sort of trip or getaway for every month until the end of the year. I succeeded for the most part considering the only months I didn’t travel somewhere or get away for a weekend was the months of June and October. Not too shabby!

What’s next?

Next weekend Liz and I are spending two nights at a beautiful seaside resort in Cape Elizabeth, Maine called Inn By the Sea. The place is supposed to be incredible and we’re going to enjoy every single minute of our stay. The occasion? Our 4 year anniversary!

The following weekend (11/19) I leave for Nicaragua! More info coming soon… Stay tuned!